1. Field of the Invention
The device and method of this invention reside in the field of fruit juice production and more particularly relates to means for producing freshly squeezed fruit juice.
2. History of the Prior Art
One hundred percent fruit juice is associated with a nutritious diet, and the consumption of such juice is beneficial to a healthy diet. The consumption of such fruit juice is preferable to the consumption of sugar-added drinks especially for preventing obesity in children.
There are presently many manufacturing techniques for producing fruit juices which usually include the inspection of the raw fruit, washing of the fruit, and a squeezing process such as used for making orange juice which in some cases is then concentrated by removing water which is later added back before drinking by the consumer. In some cases juices are pasteurized where they are heated at a moderate temperature for a definite period of time in order to destroy undesirable bacteria without changing the fruit's chemical composition.
One hundred percent fruit juice has been found to be nutrient-dense, that is, rich in vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, vitamin C and folate. Presently many fruits are packaged in plastic bags and frozen before sale to the public. The purchaser then opens such bag, removes the portion desired to be used and defrosts that portion. If, for example, a bag of frozen strawberries were purchased, the user would defrost the portion desired and place the defrosted strawberries on cereal or place the defrosted strawberries in a blender to prepare a beverage with other ingredients. The fruit in such bags of frozen fruit is sold either whole or cut up into pieces or chunks. It is difficult for the average consumer to process whole fruit into a drinkable beverage without access to special equipment, such as a juicer or blender.